Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. You know, not so long ago I made a show while on location in Orlando, Florida. What you now know as The Magic Show #56 – Drafting With Evan I know as “That time I made a complete donkey of myself in front of the community.” But redemption comes in the form of Lorwyn pack winnings and ratings don’t lie. Come and explore the reason why I believe I’ve found my favorite Lorwyn draft archetype and have gained 150 limited rating points in the process.

Merfolk, Kithkin, Merfolk, Kithkin

So this story begins with draft archetypes. What are draft archetypes? Well, in Time Spiral block there were several, anywhere from Blue/Red Suspend to Green/Red beats. But in Lorwyn, as we all know, it’s all about the tribes.

But it’s not that simple of course, and each archetype has its own nut draft that is nigh unbeatable. What I’m going to show you is builds and some highlights of two separate Blue/White Merfolk-Kithkin drafts. Both of which split the finals in an 8-4 queue, showing the picking and, if Magic Online is cooperating, in the playing. I’ve looked around at some other draft articles but I’ve not seen any yet that really focus on this very control-oriented archetype.

First, let’s get some ground rules. The following are cards in pick one pack one in which you shall never pass:

- Shriekmaw
- Mulldrifter
- Garruk Wildspeaker
- Chandra Naalar
- Mirror Entity
- Austere Command
- Profane Command
- Cryptic Command

Beyond the first two they are in no particular order. Quite simply all of these lead to game wins and you can splash for them in this archetype. Garruk and Chandra are a stretch, but at the very least pick one pack one you shouldn’t let him slip out of your clutches.

If you open them in packs two or three, if they’re not Shriekmaw or the White/Blue variety, let them go. And, before we continue, I want to touch on this briefly.

A large majority of players will rare draft, and will love doing so. I mean, hell, Abe Sergeant, who by the way wrote his 200th article a few months ago, wrote an article about doing just such a thing. Allow me to say this and I’m only going to say this once:

If you want to get better at drafting, you cannot rare draft. Period.

Now, look, I know my “standing” in the community and unfortunately my last drafting episode didn’t help (note to all future writers: Never feature drafts where you lose). I know my reputation amongst the arrogant, so their opinion doesn’t mean much to me. But results don’t lie. I have a bucketload of tickets and packs because of the method I’m about to show you, and part of that foundation is that no matter how good that Thoughtseize looks, you’re going to need that Summon the School a hell of a lot more if your goal is to actually win the draft and not play in the draft.

So you ready to draft my favorite archetype? Let’s go!

Here are the top commons for the Merfolk/Kithkin archetype:

#1 Mulldrifter
#2 Silvergill Douser
#3 Oblivion Ring
#4 Stonybrook Angler
#5 Streambed Aquitects

I hate to list Mulldrifter at first, because he should basically be taken over every other card in the set anyway, but we’re listing a Top 5 and he does indeed sit on top.

However, there are many more commons that makes this archetype tick. Let’s take a look at an example decklist that split the finals of a recent draft:

9 Island
8 Plains
1 Deeptread Merrow
1 Dolmen Gate
1 Faerie Trickery
1 Goldmeadow Harrier
1 Harpoon Sniper
1 Judge of Currents
1 Kithkin Harbinger
1 Neck Snap
1 Paperfin Rascal
2 Plover Knights
1 Ponder
1 Sentinels of Glen Elendra
2 Silvergill Adept
1 Silvergill Douser
2 Streambed Aquitects
1 Summon the School
1 Turtleshell Changeling
1 Whirlpool Whelm
1 Wings of Velis Vel
1 Aethersnipe

Deeptread Merrow almost always gets a one-of in these builds, and Amoeboid Changeling is incredibly good and everyone is just beginning to notice. No longer can you wheel him around the table, you now have to get lucky to do so. Kinsbaile Balloonist is a creature I really like, as it has evasion and can grant evasion as necessary. Why is this important?

Firstly, as with any control deck, you need to control the tempo. Stonybrook Angler is your #1 man here, with Silvergill Douser right behind. He can slow down the game like nothing else.

Another important man is Cloudgoat Ranger. I’ve taken this card over Silvergill Douser several times - yes, really - and I’ve never regretted it. He allows you to come back from behind and he allows you the evasion it sometimes takes to win games. Whirlpool Whelm is another tempo-controller, as well as allowing you to sneak in damage by bouncing their expensive creature. It can also save your best creature and get you 15% off car insurance if you’re real nice to it.

The strategy with all of these decks is this: Establish control with tappers, life gain, creature removal and counterspells. Then once control is established, use your fliers such as Avian Changeling and Plover Knights to take you the rest of the way.

Another important yet understated asset in almost every one of these drafts is a singleton Kithkin Greatheart. What a fantastic little creature. With so many Changelings rarely will you need the Stalactite to power him up, and with Amoeboid Changeling on the table he gets even more absurd. Turn him into a Merfolk, give him +1/+1 and Islandwalk via Streambed Aquitects and go to town. If nothing else, he almost always trades “up,” which is to say this two mana fellow takes out 3+ mana dudes all the time.

Moving on to the uncommons, here’s that magical list of What To Pick First:

#1 Merrow Reejerey
#2 Summon the School
#3 Cloudgoat Ranger
#4 Changeling Hero
#5 Harpoon Sniper

I could put Shriekmaw at the top of this list, but you know better than to pass him, right?

So, Reejerey is obviously the nuts in this archetype and his tapping ability is another key to the evasion needed to kill your opponent. Play a Merfolk, tap a dude, swing swing. Summon the School simply has too many uses not to take extremely highly. Between Judge of Currents or Drowner of Secrets, who is #6 on this list by the way, you should not underestimate the power of Merfolk tokens.

Again, the key is to establish control. Summon the School is worthless if you can’t stop your opponent from killing you. Some other key uncommons include Silvergill Adept, who will go surprisingly late because no one wants to commit to Merfolk that strongly, Crib Swap because, well, it’s removal of course, and Merrow Harbinger because passing it is also telling your neighbor you’re not drafting Merfolk. Call me crazy, but I’m a big believer in signals.

Moving on to the rare slot, let me begin that you should never, under any circumstances, play Wanderwine Prophets. They’re just… so, so bad. They’re bad in ways I can barely describe. Few if any Merfolk need to be championed, and a 4/4 for six mana, at earliest on Turn 6, is probably going to do nothing to the board. The lowliest White or Blue common, say, Wispmare, has more usability than this turd.

So, rares, whatcha hoping to open? Well other than Wrath of God and Cryptic Command, you’re looking for dragons in the form of Guile and Purity, Fathom Trawl which is just absurd in a control deck, Jace Berelin for his incredible card advantage, Sower of Temptation who is a bomb in all senses of the word, Surgespanner for those wacky tapping tricks, and Sygg, River’s Guide who basically wins the game if you have untapped mana. Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile is nice too, and Thoughtweft Trio can get you there provided you pick a few more Kithkin or Changelings to compensate.

Do note that not all of these are worth picking over Reejerey. For example, Surgespanner is not better than Merrow Reejerey, and neither is Thoughtweft Trio. You want to establish your Merfolk nature, as it were, as soon as possible. Don’t worry about that Thoughtweft Trio anyway. You’ll just tap him down with Stonybrook Angler when the time comes.

Before we move on to the highlighted draft in question, a few notes about matchups. Let’s begin with Faeries. Faeries are the defacto accepted “best archetype” to draft, which I obviously don’t believe but what I’m telling you is you may not get a lot of Pestermites or Sentinels of Glen Elendra due to a player on your left or right playing Faeries. Don’t worry about this at all. You have Balloonist to give evasion and plenty of White fliers to keep them busy. Plover Knights, alone, give Faeries huge fits, and with your array of tricks you should have no trouble dealing with them.

Goblins can be deadly due to their explosiveness. They can also recur like no other tribe. Warren Pilferer’s are a huge pain in the ass and combined with something like Shriekmaw can give you a run for your money. For that matter, Marsh Flitter is so annoying it hurts. I hate that guy.

Elementals can be another explosive tribe, one that gives you fits not for their speed but their trample. Soulbright Flamekin is so annoying. A combo that few have really capitalized on is Soulbright Flamekin and Flamekin Brawler. Oh, you may laugh, as I did, and then it “went off” and I died quickly thereafter. I know I’ve had a ton of fun drafting the four or five-color special Elemental deck, but just straight Red/Black or Red/White Elemental beats is some scary.

Giants are generally your worst matchup because of Thundercloud Shaman. You simply cannot, I repeat, cannot be caught with your pants down on this guy. You must hold a counterspell for him or you will lose to him. I’ve beaten a resolved Thundercloud Shaman before, but that was thanks to a Changeling Hero and a Runed Stalactite. With Stinkdrinker Devils in multiples, it doesn’t take long for something like Hearthcage Giant to just run you right over. You don’t have enough tappers to deal with their speed, and their extensive removal and burn can take you down quickly.

Elves I touch on lastly because, well, if they don’t have the absolutely nuts, they’re generally slow as hell and you can quickly overwhelm them. A bunch of 1/1s is no problem, because all of that token business keeps them busy while you setup your control suite. This is the matchup where something like Judge of Currents and Summon the School really show their worth. However, something like Immaculate Magistrate really can be the death of you, and Imperious Perfect is another one of those must-counter creatures. They’ll never attack with Perfect into your Neck Snap and you best hope you have a Crib Swap handy or it’s going to get nasty.

Okay, so here we go, pick #1 to 45 of a winning draft where I forced U/W Merfolk. I love the archetype so much I’ll make it happen no matter what, and sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t. Generally it does work out, and that’s why my rating has skyrocketed. Here we go:

Draft:

Pack 1:
Lowland Oaf, Lignify, Weed Strangle, Kithkin Healer, Deeptread Merrow, Lash Out, Kithkin Daggerdare, Shields of Velis Vel, Mournwhelk, Needle Drop, Springjack Knight, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Turtleshell Changeling, Fallowsage, Mad Auntie

Pick: Weed Strangle

In this pack I didn’t see a single card that could really help the archetype, as Fallowsage is just average and Turtleshell Changeling isn’t as valuable as a removal spell. Taking either of these is not the end of the world, but should you not be able to force Merfolk you’ve got a good start.

Pack 2:
Fertile Ground, Moonglove Winnower, Plover Knights, Whirlpool Whelm, Leaf Gilder, Hunt Down, Giant's Ire, Dawnfluke, Spellstutter Sprite, Inner-Flame Igniter, Merrow Reejerey, Ego Erasure, Nova Chaser, Forest

Pick: Merrow Reejerey

That’s what I was looking for. Good ole Reejerey, coming out of the woodwork.

Pack 3:
Plover Knights, Paperfin Rascal, Dreamspoiler Witches, Runed Stalactite, Nath's Elite, Neck Snap, Sentinels of Glen Elendra, Spiderwig Boggart, Boggart Forager, Ringskipper, Hunt Down, Faerie Harbinger, Captivating Glance

Pick: Neck Snap

Pack 4:
Stinkdrinker Daredevil, Battlewand Oak, Oaken Brawler, Pestermite, Hurly-Burly, Elvish Eulogist, Giant's Ire, Lairwatch Giant, Spellstutter Sprite, Spiderwig Boggart, Merrow Harbinger, Hamletback Goliath

Pick: Merrow Harbinger

Between Merrow Harbinger and Pestermite, not really a contest.

Pack 5:
Kithkin Greatheart, Oakgnarl Warrior, Deeptread Merrow, Goldmeadow Harrier, Needle Drop, Soaring Hope, Elvish Branchbender, Wellgabber Apothecary, Aquitect's Will, Hoarder's Greed, Merrow Harbinger

Pick: Merrow Harbinger

This pack gives us the unfortunate decision of Goldmeadow Harrier versus Merrow Harbinger, but again I don’t think it’s close in terms of the signals you want to send pack one and how useful the Harbinger is with cards like Changeling Hero.

Pack 6:
Soulbright Flamekin, Kithkin Daggerdare, Surge of Thoughtweft, Mudbutton Torchrunner, Fire-Belly Changeling, Skeletal Changeling, Aquitect's Will, Kinsbaile Skirmisher, Familiar's Ruse, Mountain

Pick: Familiar's Ruse

Here’s a pack that can make you nervous, as there are no real Blue cards left. However, we want to cut Blue as hard as we can to ensure some goodness in pack two.

Pack 7:
Moonglove Winnower, Whirlpool Whelm, Leaf Gilder, Flamekin Brawler, Tideshaper Mystic, Rootgrapple, Triclopean Sight, Familiar's Ruse, Shelldock Isle

Pick: Whirlpool Whelm

I felt a lot better when I saw this pack, as it still had some playable Blue in it. While Shellrock Isle is nice and certainly usable, Whelm can win you games.

Pack 8:
Soulbright Flamekin, Cloudcrown Oak, Aquitect's Will, Kinsbaile Skirmisher, Blind-Spot Giant, Wellgabber Apothecary, Scattering Stroke, Kinsbaile Balloonist

Pick: Kinsbaile Balloonist

Don’t let eighth pick Cloudcrown Oaks fool you, you want to commit to this archetype fully.

Pack 9:
Kithkin Healer, Deeptread Merrow, Shields of Velis Vel, Mournwhelk, Needle Drop, Springjack Knight, Burrenton Forge-Tender

Pick: Deeptread Merrow

For Pack #9, you see a Blue card, particularly a Merfolk, you take a Blue card.

Pack 10:
Moonglove Winnower, Hunt Down, Dawnfluke, Spellstutter Sprite, Ego Erasure, Forest

Pick: Spellstutter Sprite

For this pick Ego Erasure is probably the right choice, but I’m not going to be playing either so it doesn’t matter.

I’ll show you the rest of the picks and we’ll move on to Pack #2.

Pack 11:
Runed Stalactite, Boggart Forager, Ringskipper, Hunt Down, Captivating Glance

Pick: Runed Stalactite

Pack 12:
Oaken Brawler, Hurly-Burly, Elvish Eulogist, Giant's Ire

Pick: Oaken Brawler

Pack 13:
Needle Drop, Soaring Hope, Aquitect's Will

Pick: Aquitect's Will

Pack 14:
Aquitect's Will, Mountain

Pick: Aquitect's Will

Pack 15:
Tideshaper Mystic

Pick: Tideshaper Mystic

Pack 16:
Peppersmoke, Lys Alana Huntmaster, Consuming Bonfire, Wispmare, Stonybrook Angler, Thieving Sprite, Gilt-Leaf Ambush, Flamekin Brawler, Tideshaper Mystic, Rootgrapple, Triclopean Sight, Inner-Flame Igniter, Changeling Titan, Crush Underfoot, Horde of Notions

Pick: Stonybrook Angler

While that Changeling Titan looks awfully sexy, Stonybrook Angler is the absolutely cornerstone of a good Merfolk/Kithkin deck.

Pack 17:
Smokebraider, Gilt-Leaf Ambush, Moonglove Winnower, Kinsbaile Balloonist, Inner-Flame Acolyte, Peppersmoke, Paperfin Rascal, Cenn's Heir, Ringskipper, Shimmering Grotto, Goatnapper, Giant Harbinger, Twinning Glass, Flamekin Brawler

Pick: Kinsbaile Balloonist

Oh my God no Blue cards! What are we gonna do?! Take the best White one instead, of course.

Pack 18:
Neck Snap, Pestermite, Leaf Gilder, Boggart Sprite-Chaser, Thieving Sprite, Kinsbaile Balloonist, Flamekin Brawler, Facevaulter, Warren-Scourge Elf, Blades of Velis Vel, Flamekin Harbinger, Shelldock Isle, Island

Pick: Neck Snap

Rarely if ever should you pass a removal spell in your colors, it’s hard to argue with killing your opponent’s best creature.

Pack 19:
Smokebraider, Gilt-Leaf Ambush, Moonglove Winnower, Kinsbaile Balloonist, Inner-Flame Acolyte, Peppersmoke, Nath's Buffoon, Caterwauling Boggart, Tideshaper Mystic, Elvish Handservant, Goatnapper, Ceaseless Searblades

Pick: Kinsbaile Balloonist

Here’s another Balloonist. Don’t worry about picking up three of these, as you shouldn’t play more than two, but also remember if you don’t take them you may be hurting your White cards in pack #3.

Pack 20:
Woodland Changeling, Kithkin Greatheart, Lignify, Gilt-Leaf Seer, Boggart Birth Rite, Zephyr Net, Bog Hoodlums, Sylvan Echoes, Hearthcage Giant, Thorntooth Witch, Colfenor's Plans

Pick: Kithkin Greatheart

Hey, there’s my buddy Kithkin Greatheart. Now at this point it’s pretty clear that no matter how hard we cut Blue in pack one, we’re getting shut out here. No worries, White is almost always criminally underdrafted in the 8-4 realm.

Pack 21:
Herbal Poultice, Avian Changeling, Lowland Oaf, Fistful of Force, Heal the Scars, Boggart Birth Rite, Ingot Chewer, Soaring Hope, Vivid Crag

Pick: Avian Changeling

Speaking of, look at this gift. A sixth pick Avian Changeling is something to rejoice about.

The rest of these picks really are pretty horrible, so I’ll just list them and move on.

Pack 22:
Kithkin Healer, Axegrinder Giant, Lignify, Spring Cleaning, Wellgabber Apothecary, Gilt-Leaf Seer, Boggart Birth Rite, Rebellion of the Flamekin, Prowess of the Fair

Pick: Kithkin Healer

Pack 23:
Fistful of Force, Soulbright Flamekin, Cloudcrown Oak, Mournwhelk, Zephyr Net, Scarred Vinebreeder, Gilt-Leaf Seer, Goldmeadow Stalwart

Pick: Goldmeadow Stalwart

Pack 24:
Wispmare, Thieving Sprite, Gilt-Leaf Ambush, Flamekin Brawler, Rootgrapple, Crush Underfoot, Horde of Notions

Pick: Wispmare

Pack 25:
Gilt-Leaf Ambush, Moonglove Winnower, Ringskipper, Goatnapper, Twinning Glass, Flamekin Brawler

Pick: Gilt-Leaf Ambush

Pack 26:
Boggart Sprite-Chaser, Flamekin Brawler, Facevaulter, Warren-Scourge Elf, Blades of Velis Vel

Pick: Blades of Velis Vel

Pack 27:
Nath's Buffoon, Caterwauling Boggart, Elvish Handservant, Goatnapper

Pick: Caterwauling Boggart

Pack 28:
Gilt-Leaf Seer, Bog Hoodlums, Sylvan Echoes

Pick: Gilt-Leaf Seer

Pack 29:
Herbal Poultice, Heal the Scars

Pick: Heal the Scars

Pack 30:
Prowess of the Fair

Pick: Prowess of the Fair

Pack 31:
Hornet Harasser, Axegrinder Giant, Woodland Changeling, Kithkin Greatheart, Mulldrifter, Footbottom Feast, Protective Bubble, Ingot Chewer, Amoeboid Changeling, Spring Cleaning, Exiled Boggart, Giant Harbinger, Vivid Grove, Changeling Titan, Epic Proportions

Pick: Mulldrifter

Sweet mother, one of the best cards you could possibly open. Nothing brings a smile like the Drifter.

Pack 32:
Whirlpool Whelm, Boggart Loggers, Adder-Staff Boggart, Fertile Ground, Moonglove Extract, Hillcomber Giant, Sentinels of Glen Elendra, Cenn's Heir, Ringskipper, Black Poplar Shaman, Shimmering Grotto, Flamekin Spitfire, Changeling Hero, Sylvan Echoes

Pick: Changeling Hero

A benefit of being in White is that you get their ridiculous uncommons passed to you. This is one of them.

Pack 33:
Silvergill Douser, Quill-Slinger Boggart, Bog-Strider Ash, Herbal Poultice, Zephyr Net, Bog Hoodlums, Judge of Currents, Inkfathom Divers, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Elvish Promenade, Cloudgoat Ranger, Hostility, Springjack Knight

Pick: Cloudgoat Ranger

And here is that dreaded pick, Silvergill Douser over Cloudgoat Ranger. As I’ve played in quite a few Lorwyn drafts now, I can say that I see this combination quite often. I still believe this is the right pick. A buddy of mine refers to Cloudgoat as a “small dragon” and I believe him.

Pack 34:
Oakgnarl Warrior, Hornet Harasser, Deeptread Merrow, Goldmeadow Harrier, Eyeblight's Ending, Bog Hoodlums, Protective Bubble, Fire-Belly Changeling, Skeletal Changeling, Nectar Faerie, Woodland Guidance, Fathom Trawl

Pick: Fathom Trawl

Wow, what a gift. A fourth pick excellent rare is just fantastic.

Pack 35:
Boggart Sprite-Chaser, Oaken Brawler, Stonybrook Angler, Elvish Eulogist, Giant's Ire, Lairwatch Giant, Spellstutter Sprite, Pollen Lullaby, Vivid Creek, Heat Shimmer, Fertile Ground

Pick: Stonybrook Angler

For pack thirty-five, this is another excellent pick. Two or even three Angler is just what you’re looking for.

Pack 36:
Kithkin Healer, Deeptread Merrow, Kithkin Daggerdare, Herbal Poultice, Inkfathom Divers, Needle Drop, Soaring Hope, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Vivid Meadow, Silvergill Adept

Pick: Silvergill Adept

The Adept was nice at sixth pick because as I said earlier, most don’t wish to commit that strongly to Merfolk, and the Faeries can’t do anything with her.

Pack 37:
Paperfin Rascal, Nath's Elite, Boggart Sprite-Chaser, Oaken Brawler, Broken Ambitions, Cenn's Heir, Boggart Forager, Facevaulter, Nettlevine Blight

Pick: Broken Ambitions

Here’s an excellent and a very underrated counterspell I’ll happily pick up seventh and play in my final build.

Pack 38:
Stinkdrinker Daredevil, Hurly-Burly, Nightshade Stinger, Faerie Trickery, Warren-Scourge Elf, Lairwatch Giant, Sentry Oak, Favor of the Mighty

Pick: Faerie Trickery

This is the other counterspell that you should be packing main, as it stops most to all late game bombs. Oh, the Mulldrifters I have countered with this thing.

Pack 39:
Axegrinder Giant, Protective Bubble, Ingot Chewer, Amoeboid Changeling, Spring Cleaning, Exiled Boggart, Vivid Grove

Pick: Amoeboid Changeling

Woohoo, we wheeled the Changeling. I was very happy about this one.

Pack 40:
Whirlpool Whelm, Cenn's Heir, Ringskipper, Black Poplar Shaman, Shimmering Grotto, Sylvan Echoes

Pick: Whirlpool Whelm

Whelm is another solid pick this late, and one of your key tempo cards.

Now I’ll list the rest of the picks and we’ll get to my final build.

Pack 41:
Herbal Poultice, Zephyr Net, Bog Hoodlums, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Springjack Knight

Pick: Burrenton Forge-Tender

Pack 42:
Bog Hoodlums, Protective Bubble, Fire-Belly Changeling, Nectar Faerie

Pick: Fire-Belly Changeling

Pack 43:
Elvish Eulogist, Giant's Ire, Lairwatch Giant

Pick: Lairwatch Giant

Pack 44:
Herbal Poultice, Needle Drop

Pick: Herbal Poultice

Pack 45:
Boggart Forager

Pick: Boggart Forager

Final Decklist:

Maindeck:

1 Avian Changeling
1 Changeling Hero
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Kinsbaile Balloonist
1 Kinsbaile Balloonist [FOIL]
1 Kithkin Greatheart
2 Neck Snap
1 Amoeboid Changeling
1 Broken Ambitions
1 Deeptread Merrow
1 Faerie Trickery
1 Familiar's Ruse
1 Fathom Trawl
2 Merrow Harbinger
1 Merrow Reejerey
1 Mulldrifter
1 Silvergill Adept
2 Stonybrook Angler
1 Whirlpool Whelm
1 Runed Stalactite
9 Island
8 Plains

Sideboard:

2 Aquitect's Will
1 Blades of Velis Vel
1 Boggart Forager
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Caterwauling Boggart
1 Fire-Belly Changeling
1 Gilt-Leaf Ambush
1 Gilt-Leaf Seer
1 Goldmeadow Stalwart
1 Heal the Scars
1 Herbal Poultice
1 Kinsbaile Balloonist
1 Kithkin Healer
1 Lairwatch Giant
1 Oaken Brawler
1 Prowess of the Fair
1 Spellstutter Sprite
1 Tideshaper Mystic
1 Weed Strangle
1 Whirlpool Whelm
1 Wispmare

So due to Magic Online being unable to replay the games for you, allow me to summarize. In the first I was playing against Elementals, the kind featuring both Nova Chaser, Ceaseless Searblades, multiple Smokebraiders along with Soulbright Flamekin and Flamekin Brawlers. Thanks to me going first in games 1 and 3 I pulled it out.

The second round I had the most unbelievable comeback victory I’ve experienced in years. He was playing Red/Black Giants and I was getting demolished. I mean absolutely creamed. I was land flooded, at one life, and he had just wiped every creature off the board but his freshly-cast Thundercloud Shaman. I thought the game was simply over. I sighed, untapped, and said to myself “The only way I’m winning this game is if I draw Fathom Trawl, a creature off the Trawl in which to chump block his Shaman, another creature with which to use Changeling Hero, which I must also draw off the Fathom Trawl and equip with Runed Stalactite.”

Wouldn’t you know that exact chain of events happened? After the 5/5 Changeling Hero took over the board, Mulldrifter finally showed up and then a few Merfolk and, well, that was that. Unreal!

So I hope this episode has shared a much-loved archetype to you guys, and I hope the little Blue and White men are as good to you as they have been to me.

Until next time Magic players, when we talk about the World Championships, this is Evan Erwin, tapping the cards so you don’t have to.

Evan “misterorange” Erwin
dubya dubya dubya dot misterorange dot com
eerwin +at+ gmail +dot+ com
Written late at night on cold meds. I love being sick.

Music Credits:
Title – “Black Math” by The White Stripes
Show Number Bumper – “Star Wars Theme” by John Williams
Draft Pack #1 – “Automatic Stop” by The Strokes
Draft Pack #2 – “Whatever’s Left” by Snow Patrol
Draft Pack #3 – “Johnny Viola” by Shearwater